The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-13
CHASTITY IN THE EXTREME.
No Doubt that the Death List
Will Exceed 100.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE STILL A
MYSTERY.

Ofacials of the Road Incline to the
Theory that Human Hyenas Applied
the Torch-The Living and Dead
Stripped of their Vaiua BILE by a Band
of Ghouls-Sickeni Sights in the
Charnel ses-Heartrending Suf-
ferings of the Injured-Wild Excite
ment all Along the Line.
CHICAGO, Aug. IA special to the
Times from Forest, Ill.,, says: The coro-
ner's inquest on the bodies of those killed in
the disaster Wednesday night, which began
last evening, was held on the top floor of
the public school house. There were present
only the coroner, the jury, President Leon
ard of the Toledo, Peoria and Western rail-
road, Supt. Armstrong of the same road,
Master of Bridges Markley, Justice of the
Peace Estes and several reporters of Chicago
and Peoria papers. The first witness called
was Supt. Armstrong, He testified that he
was on the ill-fated train, which consisted
of six sleeping cars, two chair cars, five pas
senger coaches, one special car and
one baggage car, and was drawn by engine
No Is, Engineer McClintock and Fireman
Applegreen and engine No. 81, Engineer
Ed Switzerland. Engine Mo. - was next
to the baggage car. The name of the fire.
man of engine No. 81 the witness did not
recOllect. His car was next to the baggage
car. The train left Chatsworth about II As
o'clock Wednesday night After leaving he
went into his own car and sat there for
three or four minutes, when he felt fear
full shock to the train The next instant the
car passed over the burning bridge. He
was thrown out OF window into a hedge
fence
RUSHING FOR HELP
He got up and asked the fireman where
the first engine was. and was told that
Engineer Southerland had gone to Gilman
for help. The engineer came in about three
quarters of an hour with doctors The
wounded were taken out of the wreck where
possible and sent to Chatsworth and Piper
City, while all of the dead were sent to
Chatsworth. The bridge was only partially
demolished when the witneSse first saw it,
the stringers at both ends having gone
down. Dirt and brush were thrown on the
flames. The engine set fire to nothing, and
only one car and a Pullman sleeper were
slightly burned. The winess met the section
foreman near the wreck after the occur
renee, and the latter said he went over the
section at $50 o'clock Wednesday and there
was no fire there then. The witness had
warned him to have the section hands go
over the section after quitting work, know
ing that the excursion train was going over
the road that night. No train went over
the bridge after $50 o'clock Wednesday
The witness counted the tickets before
reaching Chatsworth and found that there
were few over 600 persons on the train
He said he believed there were only three or
four RaoA in p1DaT (it1r Tho wit
ness did not think it possible that any body
could have been so fiendish as to burn the
bridge.
THE DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.
The train was running, he judged, about
thirty-five miles an hour at the time of the
accident Engineer Scutherland told him
that he saw very small blaze before reach
ing the bridge, but thought it was a few
leaves burning outside the track. The
engineer also told him that he did not see
the fire until he got directly over the bridge
and then he called for brakes, but
it was too late to avoid the
accident The witness remained at
the wreck until O'Clock in the morning and
saw to the handling of bodies. He saw one
or two persons examining the pockets OF the
dead. He was informed by those making
the search that they were seeking for their
relatives. Ii he had had any suspicion that
bodies were being rifled by these persons
1t would have been averted by the way
in which the searchers answered him. He
saw no one robbiEg the dead or cutting off
the fingers of the dead TO secure rings
There as plenty of help to get the bodies
out of the wreck, valuable assistance being
rendered by the Chatsworth fire company.
In the corn field near the wreck he heard
man calling, Help ''help." The wit
ness went toward the place and found a
man WITH his left leg broken above the
ankle. 1he man asked him to turn his toes
down. The witness did so, and told a
farmers boy who came along with bucket
OF water to stay near the man while the
witness went to the assistance of others. In
= ~cw minutes after leaving him, the wit
hess heard a shot, and turning pack found
that the man had shot himself in the fore
head, producing Instant death. The boy
mad meanwhile gone away a short distance
70 give water to another wounded person.
The witness remembered having noticed the
deceased trying to get something out of his
pocket while the witness was turning his
toes inward.
sOLIDITY OF THE BRIDGE.
J: H. Markley, master of bridges and
buildings OF the Toledo, Peoria and Western
road, testified that he inspected the bridge
IN May last. 1t was made OF two pile bents,
tAilliso w NuCu Dclib. ~ wa, ~ lupb
long and feet high. The strhlgeis wore
by IL inches, two of them being under each
rail. Tne ties were 6 by inches
and 8 feet long. The strinsers, ties
ana guard rails were put in
fourteen months ago. The piling was good
Tor about two years. There was wall of
Old tmbeis at each end of the bridge to
Keep up the enlbankment It's condition
was good. The witness examined the bridge
yesterday and found nothing left but part
OF the partially burned curb ana few
pieces of small timber. The piles were
burned off close to the ground. Three or
loGr OF them were sticking up two feet
above the ground. The witness thought it
would take about two hours for such
bridge to burn. Other bridges on road
had been on fire this year
but hal bsen seea in time to prevent acci Do
dents. The burned bridge wus about two
miles and half east of Chatsworth. At
TINS point the inquest was adjourned until
today.
CARING FOR THE WOUNDED.
Another special from Forest TO the Times
says As fast as the wounded were brought
INTO Chatsworth from the wreck they were
taken directly TO the town ball. which had
neen turned into temporary
hospital IL is two-story
frame building, the lower floor of which is
used as quarters for the local fire company,
while in the upper hall entertainments are
given. Beds and cots were brought in from
heighboring houses together with the